


A Lesson in Honesty

by Mewd



Category: Super Mario & Related Fandoms, Super Mario Bros. (Video Games)
Genre: Comedy, F/M, Humor, Love Confessions, Romance, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:47:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26093620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mewd/pseuds/Mewd
Summary: Princess Peach struggles to find the words to articulate how she truly feels about a special someone and seeks out the advice of someone who has never been scared to take what he wants.A Mario/Peach ship fic.
Relationships: Mario & Peach-hime | Peach Toadstool
Comments: 50
Kudos: 319





	1. A Dangerous Trip

A team of fifteen toads tugged at the chain drain stopper plugging the black pipe at the far end of the pipe chamber. They whooped and grunted until it popped clean out and opened the forbidden warp path.

“You sure this is a good idea, Princess?” Toadette asked.

Peach nodded. “If I don’t come back, tell Mario what happened. I doubt I will be hurt, but if the worst happens…”

“I know where the Super Crown is, yeah.” Toadette looked grim. The Super Crown was an experiment. An item made specifically for Toadette that would let her replace Peach if the need arose. It would spare the common toads the grief if she died. “I’m not going to need it, though. You’re coming back, even if I have to drag you home myself.”

Peach smiled. The toads wheeled a step ladder in front of the black pipe and she climbed inside it.

“Be right back,” she said. She sank, and then shot faster than starlight through the warp network to emerge on the far side: The charred scent of molten lava filled the air. Ominous stone fortresses dotted the landscape and doom ships patrolled the skies. Dark Land was as miserable to look at as ever.

Bucken Berry popped out of the pipe after her. He preferred to be called ‘Blue Toad’ but Peach struggled to be so familiar. He surveyed the countryside with a low, nervous whine.

“D-don’t worry princess! I’ll… I’ll protect you!”

Truth be told, Peach would prefer to have Perry the Parasol with her. But they had parted ways last year when his grandfather was located. Bucken Berry would do for now. “Thank you.”

“BWAAAAH!!” He screamed in surprise.

Peach turned to see they were surrounded. Hammer Brothers and goomba and Koopa Troopa swarmed out from every turn of the stony terrain and gaped.

“That looks like the Princess Toadstool!!”

“What’s SHE doing here!?”

“Hey!” A boomerang brother pointed his weapon at her. “What’s the big deal?! Aren’t you supposed to be kidnapped?!”

Bucken Berry took a fearsome jujitsu stance, and Peach waved at him to stand down.

“I am not kidnapped today,” Peach explained. “I came here of my own free will.”

The crowd stood there in a stunned silence.

“I’ve come to ask an audience with his Majesty King Koopa.”

“That doesn’t make any sense!” someone shouted in outrage.

“Yeah! This is backwards!” There was a hint of fear in their voice. “I don’t like it!”

They exchanged panicked looks. They seemed paralyzed, unequipped to deal with this present situation. It wasn’t until a lakitu whirled out of the sky riding a black thundercloud that order was restored.

“What’s going on?! Why’re you lot loitering out here for?!”

“Boss!” A goomba shouted, on the edge of tears, “This dame says she’s the Princess Peach! Says she wants to see the King!”

The lakitu shot Peach a suspicious look. He was wearing dark sunglasses. Peach thought of Toadette and then looked away embarrassed.

“Is that a fact?” he said.

“Yes it is, mister… er…”

“Lakithunder.”

“Yes, Mr. Lakithunder. I’d like to speak with King Bowser if it is not too much trouble.”

“Huh,” he said and turned to the other minions and found someone to shout at. “You nitwits! You think the Big Guy would pass on a golden opportunity like this?!”

“I don’t know!” The goomba was shaking. “This isn’t how things work! It ain’t natural!!”

“Useless,” Lakithunder said. He floated down to Peach and patted an empty space on his cloud. “Look here, toots. You want to see the King? I’ll take ya there myself. But Mr. Blue over there stays put, capiche?”

Bucken Berry scowled. “I don’t trust ‘em, princess! Let me at ‘em!!”

“There’s no need for that,” Peach said. “I’m a guest here.” She climbed onto the cloud and it puttered up into the air, a bit unsteady because of the extra weight. Just keep watch on the other side of the pipe, alright?”

“But princess!!”

Lakithunder didn’t wait for the conversation to finish. His cloud zipped through the air straight toward the looming palace of King Koopa leaving the brave blue toad behind.


	2. The Morning Before

Princess Peach tore the letter in frustration, crumpling what was left into a tight lump and tossed it into the trash. It bounced off the top of the overflowing wastebasket and the last dozen wadded up failures spilled out onto the floor. Peach slouched into her desk, stared at the mess, and sighed.

“You okay in there?!” Toadette called from the hall.

“It’s nothing!” She said, adjusting her skirt to kneel and clean up. “Don’t worry about it.”

In complete defiance, Toadette charged into the study. Her head swiveled to spot spies and assassins before settling her gaze on Peach.

“Whoa, hey. What’s all this?”

Peach shielded the papers, glaring back. “I told you, it’s nothing!”

Toadette plunged her arm into the wastebasket, spilling more and making an even bigger mess, before pulling out what could only be the oldest and most embarrassing draft. To Peach’s horror, she smoothed it out and read.

“Ah. I see,” Toadette said. “And here I thought you were in here writing serious kingdom stuff. Laws and treaties. Turns out you’re just writing to Mario.”

Peach rose to her full height, projecting her full royal countenance over her subject. “As I said, it is nothing for you to worry about. I am only looking to find the right words.”

Toadette swept a hand at the pile of half written letters at their feet. “Looks like you’re having a hard time.”

They stared at one another until Peach was forced to take a deep breath. It was easy to forget that Toadette was smarter than most toads. Her subjects were sweet but often oblivious. But not Toadette. She knew how to lead and was as capable in the field as Bucken Berry or Ala-Gold. Which is why Peach was grooming her to become the next chancellor. Toadsworth was all but retired and someone needed to keep the homestead in order the next time she got kidnapped.

“I just want to express my gratitude. Every time something goes wrong, he’s there for me—For us, I mean. It doesn’t matter what the danger is, he comes and fixes it straight away. I just want to do something for him.”

Toadette tilted her head. “Didn’t you build him an entire go-kart stadium?”

“That’s more of an all-purpose sporting arena, but yes.”

“And that’s not enough?”

Peach chewed her lip. “Well, it’s just… I felt bad for the others and I started building them racetracks as well. And then word spread to Bowser and he wasn’t about to be out done and it turned into a whole THING.” The upside to that mess was that relations with Sarasaland had improved immeasurably. Princess Daisy had no patience for politics but the moment a competition was scheduled she came out of the woodwork.

“Okay, okay, whatever,” Toadette said, “So everyone on your contact list got their own stadium. I get it. But from what I hear, didn’t you give Mario an entire island too?”

Uncertainty welled up inside Peach. “I don’t think he liked it. He spends all his time at his old house outside Toad Town.” Peach paced toward the window to stare out at Toad Town. “Maybe the giant robot statue of him was a bad idea.”

Toadette clicked her tongue. “…Yeah. Probably.”

“I need to fix this. I need to find the perfect gesture.”

“Ugh, you’re over thinking this.” Toadette hopped onto the floral sofa and spread out on the cushions. “Just write, ‘Thanks Mario! You’re the Coolest’ BAM. Stamp it, send it, done.”

Peach swung around. “No! No, no, no! I could never be so crass, not with him of all people! I want to DO something for him! But…”

“But…?”

She grumbled. “It’s just, every time I try something happens. I take him on a nice vacation, he winds up in prison. I invite him to one of our festivals, Bowser attacks. I can’t even bake him a cake without it turning into a hostage situation. It’s bad luck! I just wind up owing him even more!”

Toadette laid there a moment, playing with her pigtails.

“It doesn’t seem to stop you.”

“Pardon me?”

“If it’s bad luck to invite him to things, I notice you do it anyway. Like, constantly. The last three festivals were new ones you made up.”

“I’m… just trying to improve tourism! And besides, it’s fine.”

“It’s fine?”

“I don’t mind it so much. …So long as he’s there, I mean. Things work out when he’s there.”

Toadette sat up but said nothing. It made Peach feel a bit more self-conscious.

“…Running a kingdom is hard sometimes. Especially with the toads. No offense.”

She let out a snort. “Hah. No, I get it. Most of us are useless.”

“But you’re precious! Little angels, all of you!” Peach meant it. “This kingdom is so pure and friendly, and there’s so many scary things out there and I want to make sure that none of you have to worry!” She stopped, looking down at the pile of letters on the floor. “There’s only one time that I get to feel like that. Like there’s nothing to worry about. …When I’m waiting for him to come save me.”

Toadette leaned forward, a sly grin was growing on her face.

“Is this really about thanking him?”

Peach felt as if she had been cornered. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

“People talk, y’know. You invite a guy to every festival, build him a couple sporting arenas… Word on the street is that he’s your Special One.”

The room had become intolerably hot. She moved to open the window. “Nonsense. Those are all gestures of gratitude!”

“You’ve kissed him!”

“On the cheek, forward, and nose!” She corrected her. “Traditional tokens of chaste gratitude offered to a true hero!”

Toadette stood up on the sofa. “C’mon princess! We’re both girls here! You can be real with me, can’t you? Dish!”

Peach held her breath. It was true Toadette was a girl too, even now when expressions of gender had fallen out of fashion among the toads. She could never be frank about such matters with Toadsworth, who always smothered her with concern. Toadette could be blunt in private but she knew how to keep a secret.

“I will confess…” Peach struggled to bring herself to say it. “There is a certain… allure to the man. He is capable. Athletic. Exuberant in everything that he does. …And that mustache…”

Toadette imitated the sensual growl of a Reznor.

“But I would never presume to think he thinks of me in that way. He’s rescued so many others. Daisy, for example. And that other woman. What was her name?” She clenched a fist as she remembered. “ _Pauline_.”

Toadette hurled herself back into the cushions. “Are you joking? Haven’t you got both those bimbos beat by sheer volume of rescues?”

“Daisy is not a bimbo! She is a HIGHLY respected member of the World Kingdom Alliance. But yes, I’ve benefited more than anyone from Mario. But that only proves the Koopa Empire is a menace.”

“Ugggh,” Toadette said. “Whatever. Fine. Forget about what Mario thinks. What do you want? How would you feel if you had that guy OFFICIALLY as your royal consort?”

Peach considered the question. She opened her mouth and then closed it. She double checked that the window was open and there was a breeze blowing to do something about this furnace of a study she was standing in. She swallowed.

“You can’t tell anyone about this,” Peach said.

“Yeah, yeah! Wheel out the guillotine if I do! Just spill it!”

“Sometimes…” It was difficult for Peach to articulate with Toadette bouncing in her seat like that, “I have this little daydream. In it. I’m not a princess. I’m just a woman. His woman. The two of us are just simple peasants. I don’t have to worry about the affairs of the court or keeping peace with the Beanish or Jewelry Land. I just tend to the home, raise our thirteen shrill beautiful children, write world famous novels, and manage my three small businesses. I wait for him to come home each day and, no matter what happens, seeing that wholesome smile of his lets me know everything will be okay.”

Toadette’s smile was downright wicked. “Dang girl. You’ve got it hard, huh?”

She covered her face. “I shouldn’t entertain such notions! It isn’t proper!”

“You gotta tell him!”

“No, no!” Peach shook her whole body. “Princesses are not supposed to be so _forward_. What would he even think of me if I admitted any of these degenerate feelings to him?”

“He’d go ‘Wahoo! Ha ha!’ or something, probably,” Toadette said. “I think he’s into you.”

Peach peeked through her fingers. “You think so?”

“Yea. But a guy like that? Doesn’t talk much. Man of action, but not with stuff like this. Too nice for it, y’know? That’s why I like bad boys.”

“Bad boys?”

“Like Roy Koopa.”

Peach could not help making a face.

“Don’t judge!” Toadette said, “We can’t all get excited over the dull and wholesome.” She paused to reflect. “Anyway, it might just be the sunglasses. Shades like those, they say ‘ _I take what I want.’_ ”

“If I wanted to be _taken_ , **”** Peach said with disgust, “the matter with Bowser would be much simpler.”

“Whatever. The point is: You can’t wait around for Mario to make the first move. Not with this. What with you being a princess.”

“What has THAT got to do with anything?”

Toadette waddled up to writing desk, where Peach’s crown sat sparkling. “You keep talking about the rules. He’s this nice guy nobody plumber, right? What gives him the right to ask you out?”

“He isn’t a nobody! He is the Champion of the Mushroom Kingdom.”

“Is that how you think he sees himself?”

Peach hesitated. She thought of Mario living in that simple house on the edge of town when he owned a castle on his own personal island. How he still worked as a plumber. She took in the fine furniture and gold trim of her study.

“You’re right,” she said. “But how would I even tell him?”

Toadette threw her arms in the air. “I don’t know! Why do you think I like bad boys? I don’t have to worry about that stuff!”

“Ugh.” Peach cradled her face and sighed. Maybe Mario was too nice. Or she was too proper. She would never, ever want to change Mario. But she didn’t know how to change herself. She didn’t know how to take what she wanted.

But she knew someone who did.

“Toadette,” Peach said. “I need you to assemble an escort. I want to go to the Warp Zone.”


	3. The Unkidnapped Guest

“What do you mean she’s here?!” Bowser roared in alarm. “I didn’t order a kidnapping!”

“Ah yes.” Kamek fussed with his glasses, looking somehow even more nervous than usual. “It is unprecedented. I’m told she came of her own volition and wishes to speak with you.”

Bowser gasped. He tingled from the tip of his horns right down to the end of his tail. He glanced around the throne room to confirm that this was real life. “Well yes! Obviously!” He laughed. “Of course she did, because I’m great after all! Right?”

“It is a bit early to ascertain her motiv—”

Bowser stomped his foot, causing the whole castle to shake.

“I… Yes. It’s as you say, sire.”

“This is perfect! All according to my plan!” Bowser wrung his hands, smiling, before looking back down at Kamek. “But what part of my plan is this again?”

The old magikoopa let out a big sigh. “Only the Stars could keep track of your genius, sire.”

“Yeah!” That tracked. Only the Stars knew. That would explain why he had no idea what was going on. “So what do I do now?”

“I suppose you could speak with her. That is why she is here, after all.”

Bowser belched brimstone. It felt like he’d swallowed a tweester. “Just like that, like it’s nothing?!”

“Well, I—”

Bowser stomped three times, knocking Kamek off his feet. “No!!” He shouted. “This is a big deal! All my schemes have led to this moment! It has to be perfect!!” He paced. “We’ll throw a big banquet! With roast meat, and fancy chocolates, and fizzy grape soda!” He paced faster. “And live music!! Jugglers! Clowns! It’ll be so incredible she won’t be able to help but fall head over heels for me!”

He stopped dead in his tracks and glared at Kamek, who was propping himself up on his broom.

“What are you just standing around for?!” Bowser shouted. “Get all that sorted! I need to find my stylist and get ready!” He pulled up the cushion of his throne. “Have you seen my Bowser Phone?”

“It’s charging in the Clown Copter, sire.”

Bowser hurled himself through the doorway, bursting it off its hinges. He sprinted all the way to the airship hanger and when he found his clown copter, he yanked the phone so hard he snapped the cable. There was no time to assess the damage.

“Yes? Hello? Larry? It’s about that favor. I know it’s short notice. Yes. It’s HER.”

Bowser thanked the stars that Larry was a professional. After the fastest face mask, pedicure, teeth cleaning, and hair cut of his life, he barged into the kitchen with a new pompadour.

“That cake needs to be bigger!” He shouted, scooping a handful out to sample it. “What is this, Chiffon!? Make it Devil’s Food!” The shy guys in chef hats darted out of the way as he stomped across the room and upended an entire platter of finger foods into his mouth. “The hors d’oeuvres are great!! But there aren’t enough of them! Make more!!”

He emerged from the kitchen, shaken. Kamek was in the dining hall, overseeing a team of Chargin’ Chucks in construction hats building a performance stage.

“Where’s the princess?” Bowser asked.

“The antechamber. Did you know we had an antechamber? We so seldom have guests I didn’t even realize we had one of those.”

“There’s no traps in there, right? I like adding traps to things.”

“ _I know,_ ” Kamek said, sounding a hair more impudent than usual. “It’s fine. There’s a firebar, but I told her it was a heating fan and to not get too close.”

“Good, good,” Bowser muttered, and noticed a couple of chucks chatting on the job. “Hey!” He shouted. “You want to keep the Princess waiting all week?! Get back to work!!” They scattered like cockroaches.

“Your awfulness,” Kamek said, “I’m worried about the performer for this evening.”

Bowser felt a flicker of anger. “Is there a problem?”

“I wanted to book Chanterelle, but tonight is far too short notice for her or anyone else. I want to suggest that we have one of the koopalings perform instead. We could have them sing a cover of a classic pop song, perhaps.”

“NO!” Bowser roared, spraying fire into the air. “Do you think that’s good enough?! This is the ONLY time Peach has come here on her own! We’re not takin’ any risks! I can’t afford to blow this! Everything has to be **perfect!** ”

“Um, excuse me…”

Bowser froze at the sound of that voice. It was angelic. Soft. And perfect. Like a warm hug in the deepest recess of his ear canal. He turned his stiffening neck to see her standing off to the side. Princess Toadstool was more radiant than all the stars in the sky put together. She was an alabaster doll without flaw or blemish. She was a pizza with all his favorite toppings and stuffed crust. She was the center of his universe and the queen who stand by his side and hold his hand as they ruled over the whole world.

“How’d you get out of your cage?!” Bowser yelled.

“I wasn’t in a cage,” Peach said. “I’m your guest. There wasn’t even a lock on the door.”

“Oh.” Bowser clicked his claws together. “Sorry for yelling. This is all very new to me. Um. Please return to your cell! I have a lot of preparation for our date this evening!”

“No, that isn’t necessary. I won’t be staying much longer. I only came here to ask you a question.”

Bowser clutched at his chest and mouth, blushing as a hard as a reptile was capable. “ _The_ Question…?” Wedding bells tolled in his head. It took all his monstrous strength not to faint from emotion.

“I wanted to know how you manage to be so blunt about what you want.”

“Huh?” Bowser shook his head, only half paying attention. “What’dya mean?”

“Well…” Peach collected her thoughts. “Even though I have told you time after time I am not interested, you are always so bold about abducting me.”

Bowser struck a regal pose. “Bold, huh? Bahaha! Yeah! I suppose that IS one of my more amazing qualities.”

“It’s like you don’t even care what people think,” she went on. “No matter how much you embarrass yourself, no matter how big a disgusting buffoon you become, you just keep at it!”

“Uh.” Bowser felt confused about whether to be flattered. “I guess so.”

“How do you do it?” She said.

This was weird. Bowser looked toward Kamek for help, but he seemed just as bewildered.

“Well, ah…” Bowser racked his brain as hard as he could for an answer. “I dunno! I guess I don’t think about it that much! I just do what I want!”

There was an uneasy silence. Bowser watched Peach as she seemed to think about his answer. He felt a sinking feeling. Like he just flunked a very important test.

“Interesting,” she said. “It’s like you just… shut your brain off. That’s… incredible.”

“Y-yeah!” Bowser said, worried he was being made fun of but unable to turn down the compliment. “I am incredible, aren’t I?”

Peach took a few lingering steps to the side, absorbed in the depth of his answer.

“But I still don’t know how to take what I want,” she said. “It’s like I don’t have the words.”

Bowser smirked. “You let ME worry about that, hot stuff. I got EVERYTHING figured out! You just skedaddle back to your cage and wait and I’ll _blow your mind_ with the night I got planned. There’s gonna be food, fireworks, dancing, singing…” He shot a glare at Kamek, who shrank away. “It’s all going to be PERFECT and then you won’t be able to help but fall in love with me!”

“No, you don’t get it!” She let out the cutest angry sigh. “Bowser, I don’t love you! And none of that stuff is going MAKE me love you! It’s just a bunch of big stupid showy gestures! It’s not going to impress me.”

Bowser clapped a hand over his breaking heart. He sank to his knees in front of her. “But… No. That doesn’t make any sense! What am I even supposed to do?! I gotta make you love me somehow!”

“You can’t MAKE me love you! That happens naturally when you spend time with someone. Not because you paid for a lot of distractions!”

Something changed in Peach’s expression. She shook her head, blinked, and her eyes went wide.

“Is… that how he feels?” She muttered. “Am I doing the same thing Bowser’s doing?”

Bowser watched her, feeling awkward and unsure of what to say. She composed herself and stood a little taller than before.

“I think I’ve found my answer,” she said. “Thank you, Bowser. You’ve helped me more than I can explain.”

“Oh. What? Really?” This was going way better than he thought. “Great! Awesome! Glad I could be of service!”

“I have to go now, but I appreciate you taking the time to speak to me.” She turned to leave.

Bowser tromped ahead of her to block the way out. “Whoa, what?! You can’t go! What about our perfect evening together?!”

“I told you, I’m not interested in any of that. I want to spend a quiet evening alone with someone I care about.”

“I can be quiet!!” Bowser shouted, “We don’t have to party! What’dya wanna do? We can do that instead!”

She narrowed her eyes. “What were you planning to do this evening if I hadn’t come to visit?”

That put him on the spot. “Uh. I dunno. I guess I was gonna get a think tank together to brainstorm my next scheme to kidnap you. Maybe conquer someplace. The usual.”

Peach brushed past him and out the door of the dining hall. “Goodbye, Bowser. This has been relatively tolerable.”

“Hey!” Bowser shouted after her. “You can’t just leave!” Doubt crept in. He looked toward Kamek for help. “Right? Is that allowed?”

“Customarily, a guest may leave whenever they choose.”

Bowser roared in frustration so loud that the furniture vibrated out of place. “This! This is why we don’t have guests! If I’d kidnapped her like normal, this couldn’t have happened!”

“Perhaps if you took the lesson she learned to heart, you would stand a better chance next time?”

“What lesson?!” Bowser huffed. “The only lesson I see is not to let her walk all over me! If she doesn’t like my hobbies, the only way I’m gonna make her spend time with me is if I force her!”

“I’m not sure that’s—”

“Of course you’re not sure! That’s why I’m king and you’re just some wrinkly old guy! I make decisions! And I’ve already decided she’s gonna love me!”

Kamek slumped, hanging his head in that limp way he did whenever Bowser defeated him with facts and logic. “Of course, your highness. “


	4. Facing Her Fears

“So, the plan is not to have a plan?” Toadette said.

The toads piled onto the stopper, grunting, and shoving to plug the warp pipe to Dark Land back into place. It POPPED into place and with a collective “Whoa!” the Toads spilled all over the floor.

“Yes,” Peach said. “It is not how I would normally approach this. Which is why I think it may be the best possible plan.”

Peach and her retinue enjoyed a pleasant walk through the sprawling underground super complex of sewers that predated all recorded history and existed beneath the surface of every corner of the world. When they emerged on the surface, just outside Toad Town, her subjects raced out of their homes and tripped over themselves to gather around her. “Oh!” They said, hopping. “Princess!” and “Waaghh!!”

“Hello my darlings,” she said, resting a hand on their sweet bulbous heads. “Did you miss me?”

“Were you kidnapped?!” “I was worried!” “Are you dead?!”

“Everything is fine,” she said in her most soothing tone. “I ran an errand, that’s all.”

“Princess, I found this bug on the ground. Can I eat it?”

She shook her head. “No, that is not a good idea.”

“Oh,” the toad said, already munching.

Peach smiled and waded through her admirers. “Excuse me. I hope you all have a wonderful day.” She made her way to the edge of outskirts of town while the toads waved and cheered after her. Out near the woods a certain rustic hand built shack waited for her, home to a stalwart champion and his skittish brother.

“Listen,” Toadette said, pulling Peach aside. “If things get… _awkward_ in there, I want you to signal out the window. Blue Toad can burst in screaming and I can extract you while his attentions diverted.”

“I appreciate it, but I think I need to do this on my own, even if I embarrass myself.”

“Eh.” Toadette shrugged. “Your funeral.”

Peach climbed up the front porch steps of the home, reached out to knock, and froze. Her heart raced in her chest. She had come here without so much as a formal letter of announcement. She had received no invitation. Was she truly about to lower herself to the barbarous level of King Bowser, who barged into the life of another to seize what they wanted? This was immoral. She was a degenerate woman setting her gaze on this innocent man like some ravenous Big Bertha. She needed to leave before Mario saw her for the wretch that she was at her core.

No. It was too late to turn back now. She had already disgraced his porch and to retreat now would mean hiding in shame for the rest of her life. It was better to confront the truth in herself and to do this now than to live in shame. She did not venture into Dark Land to discard the lesson she had learned. She clenched her hand and pounded a fist into the door.

Oh, that was far too loud. She quickly knocked more gently and prayed to the stars no one noticed. Her every instinct told her to flee but her body refused to move. She stood frozen in horror as the door creaked open.

“Oh, uh, hello Princess.” Luigi said. His face and shirt were smudged with grease and his eyes were perplexed. “Weird seeing you here like this. Don’t you usually send letters or messengers?”

“ **Yes**!” Peach said, panicking.

They shared a moment of silence.

“So… Ah… Is something the matter? You need help saving some toads or…?”

It was with some horror Peach realized that this might be the first time she had approached the Mario Brothers without some sort of demand or request. She was always imposing on Mario to rescue her or asking him to accompany her on a luxurious vacation or obliging him to pull himself away from whatever important business he had to come and eat cake with her. How could she have been so selfish?

“I was hoping,” Peach said, finding it now very difficult to swallow, “to speak to Mario. …If it is not too much trouble, of course! I would not want to impose!”

“Oh. Yeah? Sure. Yeah. He’s inside, come on in.” Luigi held the door open for her. “It is a bit of a mess, though. Sorry.”

A go-kart sat on the worktable in the center of the room, partially disassembled. Wheels and bolts and parts were strewn all over the room. He sat at the center of the operation like a surgeon, absorbed in his work with a cute and contented smile on his face. It took him a moment to even notice her.

“Oh! Princess!” Mario said with a start. He stood up and, seeing his body and gloves smudged with oil, patted at his body as if it would fix something.

“Hello Mario,” she said, feeling flushed. “It’s… uh. It’s good to see you. What brings you to my castle?”

“Hm?” Mario looked quizzical as Peach made a fool of herself. This was his home. What was she thinking? She was so accustomed to things being a certain way.

She swiveled her head to think of something else to say.

“I see you are working on the go-kart I got you. I’m surprised. You could always take it to the stadium. The mechanics there could do this for you.”

Mario seemed to consider this. He shook his head no. Why? Her eyes fell on the open toolbox on the table.

“…But that’s not how you do things, is it? You like to do things yourself.”

“Oh!” Mario said. “You got it!”

She admired that about him. Mario took charge to learn everything he could. The toads relied on Peach to govern, but she relied on them for so many practical things she took for granted. It was not lost on her that she would be helpless without them. She hung her head.

Luigi stood there, gawking. His eyes darted between Peach and Mario as if piecing together a mystery. His eyes lit up and he popped a fist against his palm.

“Hey. Mario! I’ma gonna go out for a bit. I need to go, uh… rethink my life.”

Mario waved. “Okay! Bye-bye!”

The door closed and Peach was left to feel even more self-conscious than before. Mario smiled, but also said nothing. An awkward quiet stretched. Peach’s eyes flitted towards the window, wondering if Toadette would be able to extract her. She spotted Luigi talking to Toadette in the yard outside. The two gestured and mimed and laughed about something. She was too occupied to help.

Peach turned. It struck her that this was the first time she had been inside of Mario’s home. It was nothing like her castle: Wooden furniture, all hand made. Plungers and wrenches and ratchets and many other tools she could not name were strewn everywhere. On the wall a medical diploma was hung beside a framed photograph. It was a picture of a portly older man with a big mustache and a tall woman with a very large nose.

“Is this photo…?”

“Mia mamma and papa.”

Peach felt a twinge of envy. “I wonder what that is like.” She turned toward him. “The stork brought me to the toads when I was born. They thought that made me special, but when I was little, I thought the stork must’ve made a mistake.” She closed her eyes. “It took me a long time to realize I was put right where I needed to be.”

“Oh, yeah.” Mario nodded.

“I don’t always look at things the way I should. It’s taken me until just today to realize something important.” She sighed and moved to sit next to him. “I’ve been trying for a long time to find the words to say something important and I don’t know if I ever will.”

Peach pinched at her gloved fingertips, looking down at her hands resting in her lap and feeling lost. He reached out his hand to cover hers.

“Is okay,” he said. His big blue eyes were filled with genuine concern: listening. “You got it.”

Her heart fluttered at his touch. She sat rigid in the chair locked under his kind gaze. She willed herself to look away, only to find her sinful eyes running along the contours of his mustache and physique. A shaky, lustful sigh escaped her lips.

“You’ve always been there for me, Mario.” She said. “I don’t know that I deserve it. I keep wanting to find some way to thank you, but I think I’m doing it the wrong way. I keep trying to say it with gifts and things when I can’t ever repay you.”

He looked quizzical. As if the idea that she owed him anything was alien to him. She loved him more for that.

“I want to do something you want for a change. It doesn’t need to be anything special. I just want to spend time with you. That’s all.”

Her hand found its way into his. Her delicate fingers locked around his big strong ones. She felt Mario shiver at his touch.

“Ooh,” he said.

“Is that okay?” she asked.

He nodded. “Oh yea.”

She leaned forward and gave him a gentle kiss. But not on the cheek, nose, or forehead this time.

“Wahoo! Ha ha!”

Peach giggled and spent another lingering moment admiring his dear sweet face. “So. How do you want to spend our time together?”

Mario looked at the go-kart sitting on the table and then back to her. “Want to help me fix it?”

“Oh!” She covered her mouth. “I suppose I could. But I don’t know anything about how to do this.”

“Is okay. I teach you!”

Peach never imagined herself being able to learn anything practical like this. But if she was learning from Mario, it might not be so hard. “That sounds wonderful.”

Mario gently placed a wrench into her hands and gestured for her to lean closer to the engine.

“Alright. Here we go!”


End file.
